"When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it."

- Yogi Berra
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Mon 01 Dec 2008.

October 12, 2000
0400hrs.
40F
Scattered clouds; full moon
10km south of Kozienice

No sooner has the last vehicle in the convoy pulled out on to the scarred blacktop to Kozienice that Dawid sees the grainy, green image of vehicles on the road behind them, to the south, through his Soviet-made NVGs. In all likelihood, the party would have heard them first if it hadn't been for the sound of their own engines warming up in the clearing. The unidentified convoy is about 400m away and closing slowy.

The first vehicle is small and boxy, with a small turret- likely an OT-65 or BRDM-2 scout car. The vehicles in line behind the scout car are larger and also wheeled but it's hard to identify them at this distance. There are at least two of them. As the party's vehicles accelerate to a night time cruising speed of 45kmph, the vehicles trailing 350m behind neither close the distance nor fall behind. At this range, it's likely but not certain that the trailers can see the party's vehicles ahead of them.

Actions?

OOC: This assumes that we are going with Dawid's final order of march.

Ondar returns from his stroll along the makeshift encampment's perimeter.  It is not immediately clear to him whether anyone took his hygiene advice to heart, but he figures he'd smell the results soon enough.  Resigned that he is not getting his sidearm or radio back any time soon, he moves to the KAMAZ gun truck he had driven out of Zwolen and retrieves his pack from the cab.  He reaches in to one of the side pockets and produces a box of 7.62x54R ammunition from which he extracts three rounds.  He then places the box back in his pack.  He releases the magazine from his SVU-AS and methodically places each of the three rounds into the magazine's feed and replaces it snugly within the well of his weapon.

After a brief and somewhat one-sided discussion regarding seating assignments and march orders, Ondar climbs aboard the Polish troop carrier and seats himself across from Warrant Officer Milk.  The pre-dawn air is frigid, but the weather conditions seem favorable.  He is pleased that the available moonlight will allow him to spare the batteries on his Nighthawks and it will be dawn again in no time.  Soon the team is again underway.  Ondar closes his eyes and attempts to get some rest.



[Ondar]
Honker Troop Bay
SVU-AS (10/10)
Along for the ride

The ride on the back was cold, uncomfortable. Dressed in a sweater, Dawid pulled his balacalva down from his mouth.

Pulling up his NVGs he looked over at Griet.

"Well, looks like we have company. We'll soon see if they fall for whatever trick is arranged at the Jeep. It shall be impressive, no doubt!*

He looked around at the darkened terrain passing them by. It was overgrown farmland, flat as a board. He knew that they were on the flats between the river to the East and the ridge to the West. No real place for an ambush, except the likely-deserted littel roadside hamlets that dotted the long straight throughfare connecting Koznieice and Zwollen.

Kozieinice was once a thriving agricultrual centre, the County Seat with a large thermal powerplant. It had also been a bustling Jewish community prior to the Nazis.

"Wonderful, just fucking beautiful. Saints and the Black Madonna preserve us. I need to get shit-faced drunk, and soon. If we live long enough."

Sighing he put the handset of the radio near his mouth pressed transmit.

"Sunray this is Eagle calling."

When he got a response, he continued.

"I see two vehicles now in pursuit. Range is three hundred fifty metres. They are keeping pace. Scout cars, Russian BDRM or Polish OT-65. Night-vision capable."

"Ah, my mistake, there is one scout car and at least two vehicles following in convoy. One scout car, two plus vehicled following. Do you understand?"

He turned to speak to Griet, but what could he say? The die would soon be cast. Nowhere to hide, soon nowhere to run if there was a roadblock ahead.

* OOC: It seems somewhat unclear whether the pursuit has cleared the Jeep or not at the point it was spotted. It kind of seems like they haven't, so I'll go with that.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Sat 29 Nov 2008.

Griet frowned as she set up the PKMG and checked the rocket she'd been given. The pursuers were too close, they must have seen them, "I don't think they'll stop at the jeep," she said, "they'll probably just keep coming and chase us down."

She sighed, it had been a long night, "Dawid, I think we need to prepare for action, if you agree, I think we should tell the Captain we need to either try to outrun them or fight back now. My preference would be to fight back, but that might draw more attention from the town."

The truck jounced. He tried to keep it simple so he could be heard over the roar of the truck.

"Yes, action soon enough, and we are as ready as we can be until we have more information. We shall see! It's a stalemate. We can't stop right now in the open. Those heavy machineguns will cut through the tail..." He gestured at the tailgate, "like paper! But they will keep their distance from our guns. Until we are out of ammunition. If we stop the whole group and deploy we'll be outflanked through the fields, hit from the North, from Kozienice."

As he talked he kept an ear on the radio.

"We need to get off this damn road. Do not worry, we will be in the forest soon enough. If we bloody their nose in there, they might call it a day."

Speaking of the day, it seemed like time was flying away from them. The sky wasn't yet light with the autumn pre-dawn, but would be soon enough.

OOC: Edited some dialogue for clarification.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:05, Sun 30 Nov 2008.

Tucker takes whatever gear he had taken with him on the raid and whatever stuff they managed to pick up (and his personal gear of course) and heads over to the squad carrier.  He strips the magazine of the AK-74 he liberated from the garage and clears the chamber of the weapon and safing it while he adds the loose round to the magazine (25 rounds left) and adds it to the groups, now portable, armory.

Robert makes sure that he lends a hand to whatever needs to be done in preparation to helping the small convoy move out of the area and towards Warsaw and their original destination.  Once they're ready to go, he takes his position in the gunner's slot and makes sure the weapon is ready to go.  "We're about to have company real soon if we don't get a move on now!  Estimated range is about Four-Zero-Zero meters!"

Tucker
Gunners mount on squad carrier

Dave hears this and mutters "Aww shit." He quickly stows his bedroll and aid bag on the floorboards of the truck and climbs in.

"Sunray roger. All call signs, keep moving. Increase speed." Bayer replies into his radio. He rises in the back of the squad carrier and looks first at the trailing element then the area ahead of them.

"Quyen, where's that RPG?"

OOC - Rae, can you give a description of the land, mostly ahead of us.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:38, Sun 30 Nov 2008.

Dawid acknowledged Konrad's reply.

Ducking under the tarp over the forward cargo bed, he leaned into through the back window into the sleeping/equipment berth behind the crew cab of the huge truck.

"Adam, keep pace with the others, we're speeding up!"

He motioned Griet over, pulling out the three of the smoke grenades.

"Keep to my left, as we face backwards. I will be on the right side, over here."

"Stay down behind the gun, in case they take potshots."

"When I call "SMOKE!" pull the pin and just drop one, one, over the side. Nice and easy. I will do the same if I need to. This is in case they stop to engage us with a missile or try for some long-range fire."

"When I call "STOP!" then get ready to go over the side. We will not be able to fight from the back of the truck. Go over what side I go over, which will probably be the truck's left one. Head for the ditch. Understand? Not the truck, the ditch."

"You hande all the ammunition for the PKM and the RPK-74, as well as the PRK-74 itself (and your own rifle) and the rockets. I will handle the PKM machinegun and my own weapons."

There was a case of MG ammo plus several cans wtih spare belts. The 12 spare magazines for the RPK-74 SAW were in 2 ammo pouches.

"If we have to run away, then form up on me and we'll head for the forest to the west, then try to get over the ridge by daylight."

"Remember, if we crash, try to get out or over to the forest side of the road. Not the river."

He made sure that the ammunition was piled against one of the drop-down metal side gates on the left side of the KAMAZ, where they would be handy in case of a rapid bailout.

"Dawid," Griet said as she moved things around and grabbed the smoke grenade he'd given her, "if I take all that stuff I won't be able to move, let alone run. I'll take what I can but it won't be much."

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg #12):

He shook his head, smiling at her.

"Dump it out the side into the ditch so we have it if we fight, no need to carry, understand?"

"If you have to priortise, grab the machinegun ammunition in cans. For the RPK-74 and the rest of the ammunition, just know where it is if things happen fast."

"When I give the signal will take some time for us to actually stop, so gather what you can and be ready to go over the side and try for the ditch. I'll try and put down the side gate so it'll be easier."

Dawid looked at her confidently. "You can do it, and if not it's all right, do not worry."

"Believe me, if we run for our lives, then indeed most of it will be left behind, do not worry."

He leaned back in the truck cab, instructing Adam to stop when said, and if so do it on the left side of the road as close to the ditch as possible, and to get out that side as well because that was where there will be. He relayed this to Griet.

"If we stop without actually getting out, then I'll let you both know. But I don't think so."

He made sure Griet had 3 of the 6 smoke grenades, and knew how to use them. You never knew with these Navy types!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Sun 30 Nov 2008.

Mariusz heard the alert on the radio and twisted back in the side car to see what was happening. His heart beat loudly in his chest and his mouth went dry.

He picked up the radio mic and keyed it on, "Sunray," he called, hoping Bayer was listening, "I suggest that my unit picks up speed at the next corner and takes up an ambush position. When our last unit reaches the bend have them drop smoke and then everyone speeds up. Hopefully the pursuers will miss us in the scramble and we can launch a suprise attack, Chef, out."

He got close to Jason's ear, "We're being followed by at least three vehicles. I've suggested that at the next bend we accelerate and find an ambush point."

Griet smiled back at Dawid, "OK, I'll do what I can." she patted the AA gun beside her, "We had 23mm AA guns on our destroyer, they're close range was considered to be 550ms or so with this sort of ammo. If we fire first, we might be able to incapacitate the vehicle in front. It seems a fairly accurate weapon, even I managed to hit what I was aiming at. I'd suggest trying to limit it to 2 round micro bursts if you can, that is, until we have no choice left but to spray and pray. It will be difficult for us to hit them, but it'll be just as hard for them to hit us."

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg #15):

"Yeah, we're probably armed with basically the same weapon. We got the dual 23mm, they got the same 23mms or single 30mm, pretty much the same at this range. Stand off."

"This is a long road, if they get a stretch and have some guided rockets... That could be interesting."

"If they want to trade shots, I think I could snipe them. I'm handy with the 23mm cannon, in burst or single mode. I am very glad to hear the same about you! I was the best shot in my Regiment, no word of lie. With everything, guns, cannon, mortars. I apologise, I do not mean to brag or demean your no-doubt considerable abilities or bravery."

He looked embarrassed, like he didn't want to put her down or anything. That said, he got down so that he was behind the gun as much as possible, looking out with the goggles.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:54, Sun 30 Nov 2008.